Universal’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” also had a strong opening weekend with $US34.3 million.

Sequels continue to work like gangbusters this summer.

In a surprise outcome, Sony’s “The Equaliser 2” took in $US35.8 million to win the weekend box office over “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The first-ever sequel that Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua made in their careers, the movie surpassed the 2014 original’s $US34.1 million take. It was an impressive performance for a movie that had a 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes (the original had a 60% score).

The performance by “Equaliser 2” also proves that sometimes star power can work. In a time when superheroes are more of a box office draw than superstars, Washington playing a vigilante seemed to be a draw.

Universal‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.’

Also performing better than expected was “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The sequel to the 2008 musical based on the hit Broadway show featuring the songs of ABBA took in an estimated $US34.3 million.

That’s better than the first “Mamma Mia” ($US27.7 million), and turned out to be the perfect movie night for audiences who needed a break from the action-heavy offerings already out, like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

Though time will tell if Denzel’s “Equaliser” can match up to the other tough guy movies coming up, Universal may have the rare title this summer that could have legs for weeks to come.